


Just a Dream

by aurawinterrain



Category: Haikyuu!!, Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-12
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:54:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22680568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aurawinterrain/pseuds/aurawinterrain
Summary: Tsukishima downloads an online otome game - or rather, Hinata and Kageyama download it for him. He intended to just delete the game after a few playthroughs when a new update enables the main character to step into his life. He thinks he's losing his mind, but between the midnight movie dates and long walks in the parks in the wee hours of the morning, he may or may not have allowed himself to fall for a fictional character.p.s. I suck at summaries so basically it's a mystic messenger AU, where Kuroo is Zen. On Kuroo's birthday, a glitch in the system allows him to cross the dimensions to find Tsukishima - and this is their story.
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei
Comments: 2
Kudos: 56





	Just a Dream

**Author's Note:**

> It's a little messy and rushed, but I hope the idea is clear! As for whether they really work out or not, that would just have to depend on your imagination :> I think Tsukishima went slightly ooc towards the end, but I really wanted Kuroo to melt his ice cold heart uwu.  
> Enjoy!

It sounded stupid. Even to himself, it sounded stupid.  _ Oh god. It finally happened. I hung out too much with the King and Hinata too much and they shrunk my brain. Or I am finally going mad. Maybe it’s both.  _ Tsukishima shook his head as he got out of bed. “There’s no way that actually happened.” He scoffed, picking up his phone to check the time. A ping from his phone grabs his attention. 

“You study too much, Tsukishima! You need something to take your mind off things since examinations are over.” Hinata said, grabbing his phone off the benches. The two of them began scrolling through apps before handing it back to Tsukishima, a devious smile on their faces. “Give it a shot, you never know what will happen.” Kageyama had added, before they went back for another round of extra practice. For some reason, Tsukishima didn’t delete the app immediately. 

Instead, he went back home and started the game up that night, curious to see what it was about. It turned out to be just a simple game - you go through general route for a few days, before it divulged into individual routes based on who they think would suit you the best based on your answers in the chatrooms. It wasn’t very complicated, so he shrugged his shoulders and began his first playthrough.  _ No harm trying, right?  _ He had thought - until a strange update had popped up the night before. 

**It’s November the 17th! What’s a better way to celebrate your favourite character’s birthday by going into the game? The new update includes….**

Not thinking much of it, Tsukishima had just clicked update. When it finally downloaded, he was surprised to find it locked and a countdown in place instead. Seeing as he could do nothing else with the app, he placed his phone aside and started on some homework, slipping back into his daily routine pretty quickly. 

He didn’t check his phone even after he tucked himself into bed, forgetting about the app and the countdown even as he plugged his phone in to charge. It was only when he was jolted awake by an obnoxious ringtone was he reminded of the game. Glancing at the clock, he realised that was only 1 am.  rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he picked the phone up without checking the caller ID. 

“Hey, is this Tsukishima?” He nearly dropped the phone in shock. It was Kuroo Tetsurou - or his voice actor, to be exact. How did they get the character to say his name that he placed in the system? What sort of update did he actually install on his phone? Glancing at his phone to see if he needed to select a reply, he was greeted with a blank screen, with only Kuroo’s profile picture in the middle. 

“Hello?” The deep voice startled him so much he hung up - this was getting way too bizarre. Unlocking his phone, he tried to trace the update on the app only to find that the whole app had been revamped - he no longer had the history of his previous “chat rooms” or “calls”.  _ Did they decide that it was too much of a hassle to keep the history? Or was this some sort of special event or something…  _ Whatever. It was too late for this, and all he could think of was the fact that he needed to be up in a few hours and this was probably his mind playing tricks on him. 

Or maybe he was dreaming. 

The next thing he knew, it was 6 and he was stumbling out of bed, half-awake as he brushed his teeth. The previous night's happenings come back to him in a flash, and he picked up his phone, nervous to see what happened to the app. It seemed normal - almost as though the update never happened. 

"must have been just a dream, then... That's funny, I swore I was awake." - and that brings us to where we are currently, where Tsukishima was currently contemplating his sanity. He either had a really realistic dream - or it really happened and somehow the app reset itself when morning came. It's just a stupid dating app designed for girls anyway, why am I reading so much into it? Shaking his head to dismiss all thoughts about the app, he made his way to school for morning practice. 

Tsukishima pushed the door open, stifling a yawn as he headed towards the locker rooms to change. “Tsukishima! How’s the game going?” Hinata yelled in the middle of practice. “I don’t like it, I think it’s broken.” He answered, putting his bag down. “Really? It has good reviews though… Then again, it might be from those girls that are just playing for the graphics. If you don’t like it, then why don’t you delete it?” Hinata mused, then went back to receiving with Kageyama.  _ Why don’t you delete it? _

Tsukishima wondered why, too.

-

He ended up keeping the game. So far, the gameplay had been smooth, and he was actually starting to get into the storyline. What really intrigued him was the theories behind the game, about how there were slight differences in the endings. Besides, one character, in particular, had caught his eye. He wasn’t the type to be attracted to a 2d character, he merely found him interesting. 

Kuroo was the one that everyone recommended they go for first when you start playing the game and coincidentally was the route he ended up in. After some digging, he found out the reason for playing Kuroo first was because his storyline was the least complex, and had no elements of the final arc. Yet, Tsukishima found his character intriguing. His problem was simple, he was narcissistic but that was just a facade that he put on to mask his insecurity. 

He didn’t think much about it until he stumbled upon a particular theory. 

**Kuroo has psychic dreams, what if he’s the one that loves you in every route? He’s always so protective of MC, even if you’re not on his route, and he continues to flirt with you. Or maybe it’s just a broken game because both Kuroo and Kenma have broken the fourth wall several times during gameplay.**

Psychic dreams were the first thing that caught his eye, and the next was the broken game statement. Before he could really dig deeper into either statement, he was called back to his work, so he had to place his phone aside.  _ It’s just a stupid game, anyway. I’m probably overthinking this. _ He thought, as he flipped open his workbook and started on the first question. Yawning, he hurried through his homework, desperate to get some quality rest after what happened the previous night. Before he knew it, he was tucking himself in bed, closing his eyes and praying for a peaceful rest.

When his eyes fluttered open an hour later, he bit back a string of curses and sat upright in his bed. Half-blind in the darkness, Tsukishima grabbed his phone to check the time. Right when he turned his phone on, it started to ring. A weird sense of deja vu washed over the blonde as he picked up the call hesitantly, placing it to his ear. 

“Hello?” 

“This  _ is  _ Tsukishima, right? Tsukishima Kei?” He breathed out through his nose, trying to hold his frustration back. This has got to be some sick joke, it’s probably Hinata fooling around with him again- 

“Please don’t hang up. I know it seems all bizarre but this is my only way of reaching out to you on my birthday.”  _ Birthday?  _

Tsukishima checked the date on his phone. November 17. 

“Right, so you have the same birthday as Kuroo from the game. Brilliant. Who set you up to do this? Kageyama?”

“No, I  **am** Kuroo.” 

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not, open your front door and you’ll see that I’m not.” 

“So now you’re a stalker, too?” 

‘Kuroo’ let out an exasperated huff. “Just open the door, Tsukishima. I’ll explain everything. Please.” Seeing as he had nothing else to lose, he headed over to his front door and swung it open, half expecting to see nothing so he could just go back to bed. The odds really weren’t in his favour today, as when he opened the door, lo and behold, there was Kuroo Tetsurou, in the flesh. 

“Nice cosplay.” He managed, blinking rapidly at the male in front of him.  _ He was gorgeous. Almost as though he came out of a computer programme.  _

“It’s not a cosplay, god, how do I prove that I am the actual character?” Kuroo stepped into his house, closing the door and shutting the cold wind out. “Look, you downloaded a new update a day ago, right? I called you and you hung up on me. Go check your phone now, see if anything’s changed.” 

Tsukishima frowned but complied. ‘Kuroo’ couldn’t do anything to him, after all. Opening the app, he found that it was in the same state as the previous night. All previous chatrooms were erased, and it now looked like a normal messenger app. “That update you installed allowed the wall between our dimensions to be dissolved - for a limited time, of course. Pretty sure it was an error in some coding, but I’m here now. And I’m bored.” 

Tsukishima sighed, leaning against the dining table as he tried to let the information sink in. 

  1. Kuroo Tetsurou is right here, in his house. 
  2. There is apparently no out to this, until they solve the error in coding. 
  3. It was now _his_ job to keep Kuroo entertained. 



He’s dreaming, right? He’s got to be dreaming. Well then, if he  _ was _ dreaming (he was going to uninstall the app when he woke up, he swears.), might as well do something that he’s never done before. 

“Let’s go watch a midnight show, then. The cinema will be almost empty so you won’t attract too much attention either.” Kuroo perked up, reminding tsukishima of an excited puppy. He turned away from the actor, wondering if he should make an effort to change. “You should get into warmer clothes, though? It’s late at night.”  _ oh, is he concerned about  _ **_me_ ** _ now?  _ Tsukishima shrugged, asking Kuroo to stay put before putting on warmer clothing, then they left the house.

Although he started out the ‘date’ unwillingly, still harbouring a small amount of scepticism regarding the entire situation, he had himself almost believe that he was currently lucid dreaming. It just felt strangely real, almost too real to be true. When Kuroo pulled him to the inner side of the road, he could feel the warmth from Kuroo’s palms, when they were seated down in the cinema, he realised that the movie’s screening corresponded to the movies currently showing in reality. 

Trying to shake off the uncomfortable feeling that this was actually happening, he allowed himself to relax once the movie started to play. The colours and voices from the huge screen all started to blend into one halfway throughout the movie, and Tsukishima let his head rest on Kuroo’s shoulders as he slowly nodded off to the background noise. 

The next thing he knew, Tsukishima was back in his bed, dressed in his pyjamas and clutching his phone tightly. He glanced at the clock - 6 am.  _ So it was really a dream, after all.  _ He almost allowed himself to believe that, even though he spotted a ticket on his bedside table. A ticket for the movie he watched with Kuroo in his dreams. 

He spent the rest of the day in a daze, going through the motions on autopilot. By the end of the day, he was pretty sure he had it all figured out. It only happened at night, so it must have been something to do with his state of consciousness. Secondly, it was also related to the update that was installed on his phone. Somehow, it had turned Kuroo into a human for a temporary amount of time, and now Tsukishima was stuck with this for an undefined amount of time. Internally groaning, he cursed himself for not checking the description thoroughly before clicking the ‘update’ button, but it was too late now. 

So, when the same thing happened that night, he was ready for it. The phone call, then the knocking on his door. “Show me around Miyagi, I’ve never been to this part of Japan.” Kuroo had requested once Tsukishima opened the door. “At 1 am in the morning. Right.” Tsukishima responded flatly, not at all amused.  _ Ah, the imaginary tail and dog ears went down in disappointmen _ t, he noted. Letting out what seemed like the thousandth sigh that day, he took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Fine, I’ll show you around Miyagi. Also? Here’s the spare key, I’m tired of waking up to my ringtone every time.” 

“Right! You’re the best, Tsukki!”

“Tsu...kki?” He scrunched up his nose. “Only Yamaguchi calls me that.” 

“Sweetheart, then.” 

“I’m not MC from the game.” 

“You still chose my route, though. That’s why I’m here. You must be special.” 

Tsukishima scoffed, rolling his eyes. 

“Wow, how lucky I must be, to be the special, chosen one.” He comments sarcastically as he pulled a hoodie over his head. Kuroo pretended not to hear him, continuing his ramble.

“I’ll just call you Kei, then. Since you don’t want me to shorten your name and Kei is easier and shorter to call.” 

Shaking his head, he grabbed his keys and they headed out. “I don’t care what you call me, just don’t treat me like how you would treat a lady, those pick up lines won’t work on me.” 

“Has anyone ever told you that you are the  _ life of the party,  _ Kei?” At this, Tsukishima let out a genuine laugh. At least Kuroo had his sarcastic sense of humour. 

-

The next few nights continued in the same pattern, tsukishima falls asleep, then Kuroo shakes him awake after what seems like ten minutes of rest. Afterwards, they headed out to different parts of Miyagi. Not the popular tourist spots - they would be closed by that time, anyway - but those quiet small corners that Tsukishima happened to stumble upon. Every single day, he didn’t remember going back home and changing back, however, he would wake up holding on to his phone, and a token from Kuroo on his side table. 

Sometimes it was something small, like the movie ticket the first night. Other times, Kuroo would leave plushies, like the dino plushie that he caught at a random claw machine. After about 7 nights of such ‘dates’, Tsukishima finally felt himself become comfortable with the presence of Kuroo and he was about to congratulate Kuroo on finally being able to get a little closer to him when Kuroo told him that he was going to go back to his dimension. 

It was their eighth night together, and Tsukishima had brought them out to his favourite park. They were just resting on the bench, glancing up at the stars and constellations when Kuroo broke the silence with his news. 

“I’m going back.” 

“Going back?” Tsukishima was confused. 

“No, going back to where I came from. I was never meant to survive here, anyways. You were so freaked out by the idea at first. Birthday events usually last a week or so, and my time here is almost up, so…” Kuroo trailed off, turning to face Tsukishima fully. 

“I don’t know why you started playing the game, you don’t seem like someone who would download it just for fun. But thank you for allowing me to enter your life even if it was just for a short 8 days. I saw many sides of you, and I wish I could capture every single expression of yours.” Kuroo shook his phone about, a small smile on his face. “When you wake up, you’ll probably think that it’s just a dream, but promise me you’ll not forget the memories we made.” 

Tsukishima blinked slightly, not sure what to with the information. 

He had fun, of course. Kuroo was an easy person to hate, with his personality and flashiness. But he was also easy to love. Somehow, he had managed to get close to Tsukishima without pissing him off too much, and was willing to sit there at 3 am, listening to Tsukishima talk about his day. He might have only known Kuroo for 8 days, but it seemed more like they had known each other for ages. 

“I’m going to miss you.” He admitted, lowering his gaze. “You’re an annoying ass sometimes, but you’re a really nice person on the inside. I don’t regret trusting you that night and,” Tsukishima took in a deep breath, gathering enough courage to meet Kuroo’s questioning gaze. “If an event like this ever happens again, I hope to see you again.” 

That night, he remembered exactly how he got home. Kuroo held his hand all the way back, and he placed a final gift into the palm of his hand when they parted. A hug, which was followed by a forehead kiss. As tsukishima drifted off to sleep, he swore he felt someone’s lips on his, though he chose not to comment.

When Tsukishima opened his eyes the next day, emptiness washed over him as he glanced around the room. The gifts that kuroo had given him were gone, save for the last one. It was a keychain, more specifically, a couple keychain. “I have the other half.” Kuroo had said, holding his half up. “So even when we’re in different dimensions, you know that I’m thinking of you.” 

Sitting up in bed, the blonde reached for his phone, logging in to the app. Everything was back to normal, and he felt strangely disappointed. Right when he was about to place the phone down, it rang. 

The screen went blank, except for an icon in the centre. Rolling his eyes, Tsukishima picked up the call. “Don’t miss me too much, kei.” 

“I  _ just  _ saw you a few hours ago.” 

“Well,  _ I’m  _ missing you already.” 

“You’re too cheesy for your own good, get a life.” 

“You hurt me, Kei. You really do.” Tsukishima could almost imagine Kuroo’s expression in his mind, causing him to let out a soft chuckle. 

  
  


“Well, have fun in school and I’ll see you next year. You’ll wait for me, won’t you?”

Tsukishima glanced at the keychain in his palm. 

“Were you expecting anything else besides yes?” 


End file.
